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WHY I WROTE THIS GUIDE:

My decision to eat more healthily, led me to research different diets and healthy eating options on the internet. The more I read, the more confused I became. With so many popular diets around today, it often feels like they contradict each other.

In order to find more information and organise the knowledge in my head I decided to put together The Advanced Guide to Diet, Nutrition and Healthy Eating, to presentall the available information and give myself and you, dear reader, a better idea about the diets out there and their guidelines.

I hope this guide will help you to make a well-informed decision about which diet to start and continue, in order to achieve consistency in your healthy eating.

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A DESCRIPTION OF DIET:

The term “diet” has a variety of meanings in modern times, from the type and quantity of food a person consumes daily, to the food they select and their daily eating habits, in order to achieve proposed results.

“To diet” does not mean to deprive your body of nutrients or to eat food that will make you physically ill…

Researchers around the world say, what really works is not just cutting calories but satisfying your hunger with the right kinds of foods, – Health’s Frances Largeman-Roth, RD.

Diet should be all about balance, as a balanced body, eating habits and state of mind, are the ultimate goals of a healthy diet.

NUTRITION:

Good nutrition will always ensure you have strong general health and well-being.

In 2005, the United States Department of Agriculture released a revised version of the Food Guide Pyramid, which presents how the lifestyle habits of Americans have changed.

According to this document, the following servings are recommended in your daily menu:

Two to three servings of meat and dairy

Two to four servings of fruits

Five servings of vegetables

Six or more servings of grains

Slender for oils and fats

According to the same authority, balanced nutrition implies avoiding processed foods (because they don’t contain the minimum quantity of trace minerals required by the body) as well as allergenic foods (which can cause a lot of problems, such as water retention, weight gain or bloating).

Good nutrition can help to alleviate many difficulties you may encounter, from gastrointestinal disorders, insomnia, fatigue, obesity, allergies, anemia to depression, respiratory conditions, high or low blood pressure, PMS, stress, colds or headaches.

For good health, the body needs to receive six categories of nutrients from food: vitamins, fatty acids, minerals, fibers, protein, water and carbohydrates.

VITAMINS:

Vitamins ensure the regulation of metabolism, alongside the preservation of the body’s function and growth. Vitamins A, E and C, are antioxidants. They search, clean and transform the harmful free radicals in our bodies, into inactive compounds. This operation helps slow down the aging process and also is efficient in preventing a lot of degenerative diseases, such as heart diseases, cancer, Alzheimer, cataracts or diabetes mellitus.

However, it’s important to pay special attention to the quantity of vitamins you ingest, as taking any drugs in excess can have the opposite effect on your health.

FATTY ACIDS:

The body needs two categories of fatty acids: omega-3 and omega-6.

These fats provide energy and transport nutrients inside the body, to wherever they are needed. They help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease and diminish the symptoms of dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease.

Oils are an important source of fatty acids, such as fish oil or olive oil.

MINERALS:

Just like vitamins, minerals are antioxidants which increase immunity. They play a part in transporting oxygen and enzymes and are the bricks that build bones, tissues and muscles.

Minerals are split into macro minerals and trace minerals.

Macro (or major) minerals, are the ones used for building almost everything from bones and teeth to nerve cells, blood and muscles.

Some macro minerals are potassium, calcium, sodium and phosphorus.

Trace minerals, on the other hand, are required by the body in small amounts, yet have an extremely important role, as they participate in the majority of chemical reactions in our bodies.

Some trace minerals are boron, copper, iron, selenium or zinc.

Just as with vitamins, you can find minerals in the wide rainbow of fresh fruits and vegetables.

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FIBERS:

Fiber is the component which offers plants their particular texture and gives them support.

In terms of the human body, fibers are not decomposed for obtaining energy and they contain a low amount of calories.

Fibers are split into two categories: insoluble and soluble.

The insoluble ones contain a high amount of cellulose and cannot be dissolved in water. They help digestion, thus being important in fighting diarrhea, constipation and preventing colon cancer.

Insoluble fibers are present in the skin of vegetables and fruit pulp.

Soluble fibers are dissolved in water and are useful in lowering levels of blood cholesterol. The cholesterol is eliminated from your body and is prevented from being reabsorbed into the blood system.

According to a report issued by World Health Organization in 2003, cancer can also be prevented with a diet that contains a lot of fiber plants.

PROTEIN:

Proteins provide amino acids needed for tissue development and maintenance. From the 20 amino acids essential for ensuring proper functioning of your body, 8 are produced inside the body. So it is mandatory that these 8 are provided through diet, in proper quantities.

Essential amino acids can be obtained from animal origin sources, such as eggs or milk.

WATER:

Water is essential for the body to function properly, starting with the regulation of temperature, to the transportation of necessary nutrients to individual cells and finishing with the disposal of waste – any materials the body does not need.

CARBOHYDRATES:

The main source that provides energy to your body is the one of carbohydrates. This is why carbs should be the largest amount of nutrients you eat every day.

Carbohydrates are split into simple and complex.

Examples of simple carbohydrates are sugar or honey, while complex carbohydrates are potatoes, grains or beans.

Complex carbohydrates are the best choice in terms of their nutritious properties and number of calories. They are a lot lower than fat and are also recommended to diabetics since they permit a better control of glucose in the blood.

BALANCED DIET:

A well-balanced, healthy diet has numerous benefits for your health, both for the mind and the body.

The word “balance” refers to an optimum mixture of nutrients, retained from the type and quantity of food you eat every day.

According to Mayoclinic.com, a proper split of calories sources would look like this:

45% – 65% carbohydrates

10% – 35% proteins

20% – 35% fats

The most important benefit of a balanced diet is your health, no matter if it’s heart health or brain health.

Heart disease risks can be diminished by following a diet containing plenty of vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy and whole grains.

Your brain cells will be better prepared to fight Alzheimer’s disease if you feed them foods rich in vitamin E, such as nuts, almonds or walnuts.

Your bones and teeth can also benefit from your healthy eating habits, and it is proven that a diet rich in calcium keeps them strong and helps to prevent osteoporosis.

A positive mood and an energetic attitude towards life are also the consequences of good health, which are also partly due to a proper diet.

A positive mood actually results from improved appearance, which are the effects of eating a balanced diet and leading an overall healthy lifestyle.

When you are satisfied with how you look, you experience increased self-confidence, which in turn, makes you a positive individual.

Your bodies energy levels come from the type and quantity of fuel you fill it with. The more you eat healthy foods, the more dynamic you will feel, because your blood sugar is kept at a steady pace.

And although a balanced diet which contains lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains gives your body a lot of energy, this energy level also increases when you exercise on a regular basis.

WEIGHT-LOSS:

Weight loss is a subject everyone is interested in and you need to know a simple principle in order to succeed. That is, in order to lose weight, the amount of calories you ingest daily must not exceed the amount of calories you burn every day.

Having said that, it becomes clear the balance between “ins” and “outs” is actually maintained by the quantity and quality of food intake, rather than the amount of energy spent.

A diet consisting of foods with lots of healthy nutrients combined with regular exercise, will maintain this balance and keep your weight on a constant path, without periods of weight gain and weight loss.

There are a lot of habits you can develop in order to maintain healthy weight:

Have a breakfast rich in calories, to maintain a sensation of satisfaction for a longer period of time

Have healthy snacks, several times a day, instead of lesser, more fat-filled meals

Walk for 30 minutes every day, if you can’t go to the gym, perhaps take the stairs whenever you can instead of using the elevator.

DIETS:

THE PALEO DIET:

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The Paleo diet focuses on eating natural food, with little or no processing, the way our ancestors used to eat more than 10,000 of years ago.

According to the books “The Paleo Solution” by Robb Wolf and “The PrimalBlueprint” by Mark Sisson, what you eat nowadays is not actually the type of food your body is meant to consume.

With processed food, the huge amounts of sugar you ingest every day aren’t ideal for your bodies overall system, as these are far from what our caveman ancestors used to eat.

So Paleo supports the idea of eating what has always been around: such as fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, meat and eggs.

Nuts (but in limited quantities, as they can make you gain weight): sunflower and pumpkin seeds, almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, almonds, pine nuts.

THE SUGAR FREE DIET:

A sugar free diet means consuming foods that do not contain sugar.

In terms of weight control, the sugar free diet means getting rid of sugar from your blood, which normally releases insulin. It is insulin which enables fat storage to build up inside your body, according to Barry L. Zaret and Genell J. Subak-Sharpe in the book “Heart Care for Life”.

In fact, sugars and starches bring 7 kilojoules/gram to your body that are not necessary, as sugar does not contain any essential nutrients. Sugar is a crystalline carbohydrate that has no other role than making food taste sweet.

While an extreme sugar free diet would mean getting rid of all sugar’s relatives from your diet – such as glucose, fructose, lactose, maltose and sucrose, a more viable variant of a sugar free diet is to not consume foods that contain added sugars, such as sugar-sweetened beverages, cakes, pies, soft drinks, chocolate or fruit drinks.

According to the biochemist Leah Fitzsimmons from the University of Birmingham:

Cutting all sugar from your diet would be very difficult to achieve. Fruits, vegetables, dairy products and dairy replacements, eggs, alcohol and nuts all contain sugar, which would leave you with little other than meat and fats to eat – definitely not very healthy.

So, the variant of consuming foods with no added sugars is more suitable for a harmonious weight of your body.

Artificial sweeteners are also a part of the equation, according to a review paper released by World Health Organization (WHO), which suggests that there is a direct link between the increase in a population’s obesity and the increase of sugar-sweetened beverages.

As an example, in a single can of cola you can find the equivalent of up to 7 teaspoons of sugar!

So, in a sugar free diet you must give up anything which contains artificial sweeteners.

What you can eat in a balanced sugar free diet are foods that are low on the glycemic index, such as whole grains, oats, vegetables or natural yoghurts, fruits.

THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET:

The Mediterranean diet is based on the Mediterranean style of cooking, which is typical to countries near the Mediterranean sea, such as Spain, Greece and Italy.

Mediterranean lifestyle, which includes activity, nutrition and an anti stress attitude towards life, are the reasons why the UNESCO declared this assembly as Immaterial Human Heritage in 2010.

This diet is seen as recommendable for enjoying a long life, full of quality moments.

It is perfect for keeping your weight under control, without any last minute or unbalanced meals. A Mediterranean diet brings side by side in a harmonious mix, the concepts of healthy eating and healthy foods, use of olive oils and, whenever suitable, a glass of red wine.

Although it has been around for thousands of years, the Mediterranean diet’s benefits were discovered by doctor Ancel Keys in 1970, when publishing a study later known as the “Mediterranean diet”.

This diet requires a high intake of proteins, while keeping the number of calories under control, as well as providing your body with “good” fats, so as to avoid built up additional weight.

In the Mediterranean diet, you can eat fruits, pasta, rice and vegetables, you should: replace butter with olive oil and canola oil in order to ensure healthy intake of fats (omega 3), eat low fat meat, such as fish and poultry at least twice a week, a handful of nuts daily (as they have around 80% of their calories from fat, mostly not saturated), whole grains (widely spread in the mediterranean), limit red meat to two meals a week – all seasoned with a glass of red wine.

THE ALKALINE DIET:

The alkaline diet is based on the following idea, that almost all food, after being digested, metabolised and released into the bloodstream, has either an acid or an alkaline base. The normal pH of blood is around 7.35 – 7.45, which is slightly alkaline.

All foods that produce acid, influence the pH of the blood and determine the loss of essential minerals (sodium, calcium, magnesium or potassium), because the body is struggling to regain its equilibrium.

This is where the Alkaline diet comes in, helping weight loss, supporting detoxification, slowing down the aging process and preventing problems such as osteoporosis or diabetes.

The benefits of an Alkaline diet in fighting osteoporosis were published in the “Osteoporosis International” in 2013, in a study that showed a “small but significant” connection between this diet and the maintenance of muscle mass.

As for efficiently battling against diabetes, a study published in the “German journal Diabetologia” in 2014, showed that diets which produce acids, can actually increase the risk of diabetes.

The idea is that cooking your food destroys its nutrients and natural enzymes, which is bad as enzymes can help digestion and fight against chronic diseases.

On this diet you can eat fruits, germinated nuts and seeds, vegetables and superfood – all them representing about 75% of the entire food consumed.

For a more efficient absorption, you can put them in a blender or transform them into juice.

As a matter of fact, when going on a raw food diet, you will discover how helpful juicers, dehydrators and blenders can be.

As for protein, “The China Study” by doctor Campbell has proved that 7% of protein in one’s diet, is enough to maintain a harmonious body.

On the raw food diet, the best source of minerals, as per studies conducted by Brian Clemens or Gabriel Cousens, can be found in seaweeds, germinatedseeds and nuts, sprouts and vegetables with green leafs.

You can get your calcium from broccoli, kale, cabbage, prunes, almonds or dandelion greens, while necessary doses of iron can be found in pumpkin and sesame seeds, water melon, apricots, spinach, raisins, sun dried tomatoes, Swiss chard or flax seed.

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THE VEGAN DIET:

Veganism is defined as, a vegetarian diet in which you cannot consume meat, dairy, eggs and any animal-derived ingredients.

THE DUKAN DIET:

“Invented” by Pierre Dukan, a French doctor, this diet has no calorie limitations, meaning that you can eat as much as you can.

What you will be required to do, is to eat a defined ratio of oat bran every day.

This diet shows you how to lose weight quickly and is based on four phases. The first two phases are based on 72 permitted foods: low fat, low carbs and high protein:

Theattack phase results in a significant loss of weight, as you have 68 foods high in protein to choose from. This is very motivational, keeping you moving forward towards your goal. The phase takes 5 days (although it can take up to 10 days) with an average loss of 4 to 7 pounds.

TheCruise phase (which can take 3 days for each pound to want to lose) determines progressive weight loss, at a steady pace, with the help of 32 vegetables that you can add to your diet menu. This is a very challenging phase, as you body will constantly be at risk to gain back the weight you’ve lost until this point. You can lose two to four pounds every week.

The last two phases consist of a gradual integration of other foods, that help you maintain the level of weight you have reached.

The Consolidation phase – in this 5 days-for-every-pound-you-lost-phase, you will have access once again the forbidden foods from the previous phases. These foods can be consumed in limited quantities, although you are granted meals to celebrate your victory so far, twice a week. Also, every Thursday you have to eat only pure protein foods. Respecting the guidelines in this phase is very important, as it will help you fight the rebound effect that your body is experiencing.

The Stabilisation phase means maintaining the healthy food you have been shown during this diet, based on the pattern you have learned.

Preserving your figure means sticking to these three rules:

Taking a 20 minute walk everyday and using the stairs instead of the elevator, whenever you can.

Having 3 tablespoons of Oat Bran every day.

Maintaining dedication to pure protein on Thursdays.

For each phase, there is a list of foods you are allowed to eat. Overall, during the Dukan diet you can consume the following:

THE JUICE DIET:

It is a pleasant and colorful way to provide your body with the type and quantities of fruits and vegetable you don’t particularly like, – Jennifer Barr, nutritionist, Wilmington, DE

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Juicing has become a trend in diets in past years and before starting one, you should take into account the following:

Although not as healthy as eating whole fruits and vegetables, the juice diet has the advantage of providing your body with soluble instead of insoluble which whole fruits and veggies contain

If you do juice fasts (only juicing without any other foods) for two to three days, your body can benefit from the effects of detox (although when continued for more than seven days, your body can be affected by side effects and nutritional deficiencies)

It should not replace meals, but rather be a supplement for them, with the condition they are unprocessed foods

You will also need to consume the pulp of fruits or veggies that you use for juicing, in order to consume fiber

To balance your juice, you can add protein to it, such as Greek yogurt, peanut butter or almond milk

Watch out for calories – depending upon the fruits and veggies you drink, your calories may go up or down

You will need a juicer and make sure you choose an efficient one, even if it’s not cheap (prices can vary from $50 to $400);

Always prepare fresh juice, otherwise you might get ill as “mean” bacteria can be developed in freshly squeezed juices

In order to keep calories levels high so you don’t feel hungry or tired during a juice fast, it is recommended to consume 9 to 12 cups of juice everyday, which translates into a lot of fresh supplies, time, effort and money

THE BLOOD TYPE DIET:

In the book “Eat Right 4 Your Type”, published in 1996 by naturopath Peter D’Adamo, the Blood type diet was presented.

D’Adamo argued that each blood type contains a unique substance, called an antigen marker, acknowledged by the body as being alien. This marker is responsible for how different nutrients are managed by your body, reacting badly when you consume certain foods and thus giving you various health issues.

D’Adamo says that if you follow a diet designed for your specific blood type you will absorb the right food and lose weight efficiently. There are no medical studies to support his theory, although stars like Cheryl Cole, Liz Hurley, Sir Cliff Richard and Courtney Cox-Arquette have declared that this diet really showed results, especially in cultivating a healthier lifestyle and providing lots of energy.

D’Adamo indicated foods that are suited to each blood type, as follows:

Blood type O individuals, identified within our ancestors as being “The Hunters”, should eat foods that were usually obtained in hunting – plenty of meat (chicken, turkey, lean beef) and fish, olive oil and in limited quantities, certain vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds and eggs.

This is actually a high-protein, low-carb diet, that can be considered a variation of other similar diets, such as the Atkins diet. The health of this blood group must also be preserved through intense exercise, such as running or aerobics.

Blood type Aindividuals or “The Cultivators” should consume foods produced by agriculture, meaning plenty of vegetables and fruits, fish, proteins from tofu, beans, cereals, rice, pasta, seeds and nuts. Little meat and no dairy are the other recommendations for this blood type.

Blood type Bindividuals, called “The Nomads”have fewer restrictions to their diet, but also the fewest “followers”, since only 1 person out of 10 has this blood group.

As nomads travelled everywhere, the diet of people in this blood group contains all sorts of foods, focusing on dairy, plenty of fruits and vegetables, but limited quantities of meat (rabbit, venison, fish, lamb). This blood type’s health must be maintained through mental component activities, such as swimming, hiking or tennis.

Blood type ABindividuals or “The Enigma” must eat a mix of foods from A and B blood types, which, according to D’Adamo translates into a vegetarian diet, grains and beans, limited amount of meat (turkey, mutton, lamb) and occasional dairy (low or non-fat milk and yoghurt) and fish. Same mixing principle applies also to the exercises recommended for this blood type.

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THE MACROBIOTIC DIET:

The term “macrobiotic” comes from the Greek words “macro”, meaning long or large and “bio” which means life. So macrobiotic can be interpreted as the art of living a great life.

This is an important topic, as a macrobiotic diet does not boil down to nutritional habits, but represents an entire way of living your life by slowing down, taking things more easily, seeing the bigger picture instead of treating our troubles as punishments.

This is a diet consisting of cereals, whole grains and vegetables, as it promotes “whole foods versus processed foods” as described by the dietitian Audrey Young from Newton, Mass.

In terms of nutrition, you should consume balanced foods, that respect a yin / yang ratio and that provide rich nutrients to your body.

You have to take into account, that this diet can cause unwanted weight loss, in the in case that you use it when suffering from serious illnesses, such as cancer.

At the end of the last century, Sagen Ishizuka, an army doctor in Japan recommended traditional Japanese diet which incorporates whole foods and excludes almost any animal foods, in the books “Diet For Health” and “Chemical Theory of Longevity”.

George Ohsawa, a Japanese philosopher , who regained his health by following the instructions from Ishizuka’s disciples, wrote about 300 books and articles on the macrobiotic diet in the 1920s. In all of his writings, Ohsawa suggested that we should live in harmony with the environment, by consuming simple and healthy foods.

THE CANDIDA DIET:

The Candida diet was “discovered” by Doctor William Crook, who suggested in 1983 that your diet is responsible for yeast syndrome, a syndrome that causes excess yeast in our intestines.

Basically, these microorganisms that normally live in your throat, mouth, genital and urinary tract and intestines, become toxic when they are no longer in balance with the other organisms inside your body.

An excess of yeast can be caused by smoking, a high sugar diet, medication that treats ulcer, diabetes and antacids, the use of antibiotics, pregnancy or the use of steroids.

In order to clean your intestines of excess yeast, it is suggested to follow a diet which excludes anything containing yeast.

The Candida diet duration varies from one individual to another, but those who have tried it said they began to feel better 4 weeks after starting it.

The Candida diet is seen as a diet to rebalance your digestive system, as it:

Kills the harmful microorganisms living inside your intestines, with the help of food and antifungals

Supports the enforcement of your immune system, by providing it weapons to fight bacteria

Weight loss is a secondary effect of this diet and is determined by the limitation of carbohydrates.

The diet is considered a multiple-phases process:

Cleansing – your body gets rid of toxins and waste products

Elimination – your digestive system starts to feel more at ease, removing the burden of bad foods

Supporting the immunitary system – with the help of foods that you started already to eat and by adding probiotic supplements (bifidobacteria, lactobacilli along with acidophilus), you will rebuild your immune system

Maintenance – for several months or a year, you must stick to the food list consumed during the diet, to avoid a resurgence of Candida

Join the discussion

Wow, this is an incredible resource! It is obvious you are passionate about healthy eating and have put tremendous time and effort into your research. I also love that you offered so many options, as everything varies by the individual. No one “diet” or plan will work for everyone, so it is great to have everything outlined and available in one place. Cheers to healthy living!

I like the way that you broke this up in a way that’s catered to people’s individual lifestyles. As people mentioned above, there’s no one way to eat. Everyone’s body reacts to food in different ways. Thanks for this comprehensive list to reference!

Such a comprehensive guide. I definitely couldn’t get through all of this information in one sitting but I’ve pinned it for later and have signed up to get the PDF. There are a few diets in here that I’d like to give a try.